The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-25
THE SUMTER BANK WRECKED.
Cashier chailcs E. Bartlett Defaulter to the
Amount OF $50, ,000ior $40, 900 and Fugl-
tive from Justice.
.SDecinl fO Rruiap1'.

SUMTER, August 22'-This community
was geatIy shocked this morning at 9:3o
o'clock, the regular time for opening the
National Bank OF Sumter, by the dis
covery made by the President, r. NJ.
Wallace, that the bank had been wrecked.
The cashier falling TO come down, the
president opened the safe and found that
a bag OF gold containing $500 was gone
He Immediately CLOSED the bank and
called meeting of thu directors-H.
Hardy, Marion Noise, r. d. Lee, r. Il.
Monaghan, \. 4. Solomon, NJ. G. Ryt
tenberg and A. n. Frecland. They
have been at work all day, and so far
are totally unable to state the amount
of the defalcation.
Charles E. Bartlett has heen the
cashier of the bank from the time it was
organized, in November, 1855. He was
one of the most promising young men
ever raised in Sumter, and the last man
that any one thought would be defaul-
ter. 1t seems there has been
A SHORTAGE IN HIS ACCOUNTS
for some time, and the persistent efforts
of the board of directors 10 get a State
ment OF their account with their New
York correspondent, the Mercantile
National Bank, failed to succeed. They
told him the account must he rendered
at once, by Monday, or he must resign.
On Saturday night he was seen by the
Chief of Police IL the bank at half-past
10 O'Clock and at o'clock he was seen
by A. S. Brown and J. H. Chandler, of
Florence to 20 in the sleeping car OF the
Northern bound train. Bartlett passed
them by without speaking, and they first
thought they were mistaken in their
man, but on asking John w. Dargan, Jr,
the ticket agent of the Atlantic Coast
Line at Florence, who is native of this
place, he said it was Bartlett, and he
sold him straight all rail ticket for
New York city, where it is believed he
has
FLED TO CANADA.
A pressing telegram by the bank au-
thor:ties to Washington and elsewhere,
failed to find him or any trace OF him.
He took the accounts of the bank with
the New York bank with him.
CHARLES E. BARTLETT
is about 33 years of age, tall and slim
built. He is the son OF the late Rev. J..
l.. Bartlett. He was born and raised in
Sumter, and is highly connected and
we'll thought Of by the entire communi-
ty. He was elected cashier of the
National Bank OF Sumter at its first
meeting and held the office ever since.
He has been sreculating for some time
in the New York cotton future market
and also in wheat. In conversation with
one of his legal advisers he stated that
he hoped to get the money and settle
with the bank by Monday. He left an
aged mother, young wife and several
sisters, who have the entire sympathy Of
our people. Naturally smart, witty and
keen, he was always more than welcomed
wherever he went He was recently
appointed Pay master OF the - Brigade
S. z. ", with the rank OF captain. He
is low, no doubt, resting safely on
Canadian soil.
THE NATIONAL BANK OF SUMTER
started business, with paid-up capital
Of SjO,OU0, in November, 1853, R. NJ.
Wallace Of Charleston being elected
president, with the board Of directors
named above. It was success from
the start, and Sll7 was freely refused for
its stock. The last statement showed
the deposits to be $GS,0J0, net surplus
IS, ZOO and reserve fund of ST. 900. 1t
has been one of the greatest benefits
Sumter ever had.
WHERE THE LOSS FALLS.
The board Of directors have suspended
payment officially, and state that the
loss will fall on the stockholders, and as
soon as they can make the proper ar
rangements they will resume business.
The loss, as before stated, cannot yet
be aScertained, but is believed to be very
heavy-probably between thirty and
forty thousand dollars. The bond was
for S20,000, with A. j. China, DR.. J. j.
Bossard, A. S. Brown, W.T.. DeSchamps
and Mrs. Agnes P. Bartlett. 1t is a
very strong bond. The stock is owned
in Sumter, New York, Charleston and
elsewhere, and it is hoped that by an
assessment OF 80 per cent. on the stock
and what the bond>mcn will make good
the bank will be on its feet again. All
say every depositor will be paid in full.
CAUSE OF THE DEFALCATION.
Bartlett Saturday evening at 10
o'clock, in a conversation with P. G..
Bowman, stated that lie had been specu-
lating for two years in cotton, and all
that time had been a defaulter to the
bank. He had a package of papers un-
der his arm. He told his mother he
would not leave, and then told her and
his wife goodbye; that he would, per-
haps, never see them again.
HIS POOR WIFE
is nearly distracted, and has written her
parents. A good deal of blame and
comment is made on the bank officers
allowing Bartlett to get so far behind.
Bartlett had seventeen hundred dollars
in stock of the bank.